Five years into the eight-year tenure of President Muhammadu Buhari, his administration is yet to deliver on key promises upon which Nigerians overwhelmingly voted him, an analysis by Daily Trust has revealed.
Buhari first defeated a sitting President, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, at the March, 2015, presidential poll, after securing 15,424,921 votes against Jonathan’s 12, 853, 62, as announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
In the build-up to the poll, Buhari and his All Progressives Congress (APC), riding on the crest of “change” mantra, unveiled their plans for the country and Nigerians as encapsulated in the party’s manifesto.
It was upon these pledges that Nigerian voters threw their weight behind his candidature and that of his running mate, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and ushered them into office.
Then in February, 2019, President Buhari was re-elected after defeating a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the presidential poll. He garnered 15,191,847 votes against Atiku’s 11,262,978.
However, an analysis of the implementation of the pledges contained in the APC manifesto has revealed that the administration’s key promises have remained largely unfulfilled even with five out of the eight-year tenure of the administration now gone.
Tagged: “Our Vision for a New Nigeria”, the manifesto makes critical promises cutting across many spheres of national life. Our reporters reviewed 16 of the promises and the findings indicate that, although some progress has been recorded, no significant change has been achieved.
In the manifesto, the party attributes the abysmal performance of the previous administration to lack of a manifesto to guide and give direction to the government. It said: “When this democratic dispensation commenced in 1999, the Federal Government that emerged did not tell Nigerians what its vision was for the country; because the party that formed the government had none.
“And without a vision, that party at the centre has led Nigeria from one crisis to another, lurching deeper into political anarchy, economic decline and social disillusionment, a decade and a half later, nothing has changed.
“That ruling party has neither concrete plans for the security and advancement of Nigerians, nor the wherewithal to do so even if it had one. Suffice to say that it had thrived on the maxim: ‘promise nothing, do nothing’.”
In trying to convince Nigerians of its resolve to make a difference, the party said: “In the past, political manifestos in Nigeria were hardly different from mere platitudes and general statements to which parties could not be held accountable. The APC manifesto is different.
“We have clearly stated what we will deliver to Nigerians when elected into office. Our focus is on six priority areas: national security, good governance, human capital development, economic development, land and natural resources and foreign policy.”
While the opposition politicians, especially in the PDP, believe Buhari has not lived up to expectations in the last five years considering the lofty promises made by the APC-led administration, those in support of the ruling party say they have achieved a lot considering the rot they found on ground when they took over.
